Purple Skittles
by Miranda Fox
Summary: [EC] What to do with all that extra Halloween candy?


Title: Purple Skittles  
Author: Miranda  
Pairing: E/C  
Rating: PG-13  
Spoilers: None  
Summary: What to do with all that extra Halloween candy?  
Author's notes: I needed to get this out of my system. Don't blame me, blame the sugar high.

Purple Skittles  
by Miranda

Eric stood in front of the counter of the break room, waiting, drumming his fingers on the laminated wood. The coffee maker had _yet_ to give him an indication that it was even working, but he waited anyway. If he didn't get any caffeine soon his head was going to explode, and if Ryan didn't finish writing that report in the next five minutes he was going to pass out right there on the floor. And _then_ his head would explode.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as a blonde shadow suddenly whisked past him, turned the television on and settled on the couch. He heard, rather than saw, a bag being opened, plastic bag maybe, and then a smaller bag rustling. He could recognize that sound anywhere and it only meant one thing.

Halloween candy!

Eric turned the coffee maker off and turned around. There, on the couch, sat Calleigh, huge bag of candy on her lap, watching the news intently and every once in a while popping something into her mouth. A mischievous smile appeared on his face as he approached.

"Whatcha got there, Calleigh?" he asked.

She didn't even look back at him, but continued to stare at the television and popped something into her mouth again. "Halloween candy."

He came around the couch and sat next to her. "Funny, I never pictured you as the trick or treating type."

"I'm not."

There was nothing cuter, he thought, than Calleigh concentrating on something. Her eyes got a little wild and her forehead would wrinkle. It was adorable. And as President Bush went on and on about the benefits of the war in Iraq, Eric suddenly reached, or at least _tried_ to reach, into her bag.

"Nuh-uh!" she exclaimed, pushing his hand away.

"Come on, Calleigh, you have a whole bag."

"My bag," she said greedily.

Eric frowned; this was going to be hard, Calleigh was very protective of her candy. He was going to have to trick her, somehow. "So what'd you dress as? Naughty nurse?"

She looked at him long enough to show him how annoyed she was, and then continued to monotonously stare at the television again. "Little people came to my house. They wanted candy. I gave them candy, but it seems I bought too much."

Eric smiled. Calleigh could be really weird with her lingo sometimes. He tried to see into her bag, but it was securely nestled in her lap.

"Do you have any pixie sticks?"

"No," she said, munching away.

"If you had any, would you share?"

"Probably not."

"Why?"

"You're not in costume," she said.

"Are those the rules?" he asked, amused.

"Yes. You have to dress up if you want the candy. I've been told as much."

Eric couldn't believe how serious she was about this conversation, chewing, and every once in a while frowning at something on the television screen like he wasn't even there.

"You're not in costume," he tried.

"I bought the candy, I don't have to dress up," she explained.

Eric frowned. That made no sense at all to him, but he dismissed it with a shake of his head and tried to reach into the bag again. "Just give me the candy," he said, but she pinned the bag between her thighs just in time and pushed his hand away again.

"No!"

"Are you seriously going to eat all that candy?" Eric exclaimed.

"Yes," Calleigh smiled.

"Do you know what happens to people who don't share? They go to hell," he said.

"That's not true," she said.

"It's in the Bible."

"The Bible doesn't mention anything about Halloween candy. I think I'd remember if Jesus went trick or treating," Calleigh said with a chuckle.

"You'll get cavities if you don't share. Lots of them," Eric teased. "It's called karma. Don't mess with karma, Calleigh. It's a bitch."

She looked at him, letting out an exasperated sigh. He stuck his lower lip way out in a pout and she finally gave up, chuckling slightly.

"Oh, alright."

Eric grinned happily, waiting for his treat. She reached into her bag secretly, trying to hide it away from him so he wouldn't look. Eric chuckled. Sometimes Calleigh could act like a five year old. Finally, she showed him her fist, he put his hand under it, and a bunch of purple circles landed on his palm.

Eric looked at them as if they were alien. "What's this?"

"Skittles," she said.

"They're purple," he said, examining the candy.

"Yup."

"I don't like purple," Eric said, trying to give them back.

Calleigh grinned and started watching the television set again. "Too bad."

"I want the red ones."

"No."

"Why not?" he whined.

"Because those are my favorite," she said matter-of-factly.

"Calleigh!"

"Eric, really, they all taste the same," she sighed, finally sounding more like the Calleigh he knew.

"That's M&Ms," Eric explained. "And if they all taste the same, why don't _you_ eat the purple ones?"

"Because it's an ugly color."

Eric sighed. "Calleigh..."

"I don't look good in purple."

"...I just got off a double shift..."

"Plus, they make my tongue look weird."

"...If I don't get any sugar, I'll fall asleep behind the wheel and slam my car into a tree. Is that what you want?" Eric continued.

"Probably not," Calleigh said indifferently.

"Then share."

"I already shared," she said.

"Then share some more," he said.

Calleigh sighed. "You're a little pushy for someone who's begging for candy."

"You're not gonna eat them all. You _can't_ eat them all," he argued.

"Watch me," she said greedily, finally opened her fist and he saw that her hand was _full_ of red Skittles. Eric's eyes widened when she popped a bunch of them into her mouth and chewed away happily. His mouth watered and his stomach growled, his head began to pound faster.

"You are so mean."

Calleigh chuckled. "Mmm. You know what? You're right, Eric, the red ones _are_ better."

Eric frowned at her scornfully and then scoffed. "Okay, you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna go to K-Mart right now and buy _all_ the left-over candy they have. It'll be cheap, Calleigh, and it'll be _good_."

"Okay, have fun," Calleigh said dismissively.

Eric's frown intensified before his body snapped and he lunged at her.

"Okay, that's it!" he said, his hands reaching for the candy, half his body weight landing on her. She shrieked immediately, held her fist way over her head and Eric reached for it, tried to open it but she had a hell of a grip. "Come on, Calleigh, give it up."

"Eric!" she shrieked again, trying to push him off her with her hand, with her feet, but he had a good 80 pounds on her. "You're crushing me!"

"Give me the Skittles and I'll stop," Eric grunted.

"Never."

"Alright, then," he said. His hand found her stomach and he pinched her, not too hard but not too soft either, and she screamed out so loud he thought the whole of Miami could hear her. When that didn't work he began to tickle her, and her entire body began to writhe and seize, but she _still_ wouldn't let go of the candy. He had to admire her for that. If they were ever stuck in the middle of a war, he definitely wanted Calleigh on his side.

"Stop it!" she yelled, probably alerting the entire lab. And he would have stopped, really, because Calleigh was tiny and he didn't want to hurt her in any way. But she was laughing now. It'd been so long since he heard Calleigh laugh he must've forgotten what it sounded like. Yeah, remembered at that moment how intoxicating that laugh could be, so much that for a moment he forgot what he was doing on top of her, until he felt her fingers get a hold of the skin on his stomach and she pinched.

Hard.

"Ow!" he screamed, letting go of her fist to push the perpetrating hand away.

Calleigh laughed at his pain. "Karma's not a bitch, Eric, payback is."

"I didn't pinch you _that_ hard!" Eric complained, rubbing the already red area. It hurt like a son of a bitch.

Calleigh took advantage of the situation. She swiftly pushed him off her and pinned him back into the couch. The back of his head hit the armrest and he cried out in pain again. She merely laughed, enjoying her sudden dominance... until, as if in slow motion, she heard the bag of candy hit the floor. Eric must've heard it, too, because pain forgotten, his eyes widened a little as he looked at her. She looked back at him, and in mere milliseconds they both lunged at it, a tangle of legs and arms landing on the floor. Calleigh tackled the bag first, securely wrapping her body around it as if it were a child. Eric landed behind her a little too late, but he wasted no time as he proceeded to try and wrestle it out of her.

"Stop it, Eric, I'm a girl!" she shrieked.

"I'm not falling for that one again," Eric grunted as he tried to reach for the bag, trying to open her still closed fist when that didn't work. Only her fist was still sealed close. Dammit. What the hell was this woman made out of, steel?

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to play rough with girls?"

"Says the _girl_ who just smashed my head against an arm rest?" Eric said.

"Oh, you're such a baby," Calleigh grunted and elbowed him on the ribs. He cried yet again, letting go of her to rub his ribs, and she pushed him away, looked up and saw Horatio walking down the hallway, scanning a file. With her fist still closed and the bag between her thighs she pinned Eric's chest against the couch using her forearm, nearly choking him, looked up when she had him immobilized and cried out, "now, Horatio, shoot him!" she shouted.

But Horatio looked into the break room, rolled his eyes and kept walking.

Eric looked at her disappointed face and lunged at her again, catching her by surprise and pinning her against the floor. He smiled down at her victoriously. "What are you, five?"

Calleigh grunted, annoyed. "Get _off_ me, Eric!"

"You _told_ on me," Eric said, holding her forearms down tight, only now it was kinda hard trying to reach for the candy when both his hands were occupied trying to keep her in place, and he knew if he let go Calleigh would just beat the crap out of him again.

"You're stealing my candy," she said defensively. "What does your Bible say about stealing?"

"It says it's okay if you're poor and need to feed your family."

"That's bread!" Calleigh spat, her body squirming around like a snake.

"Bread or Skittles," Eric replied. As she continued to struggle underneath him he tried to maneuver around and hold both her wrists down with one of his hands. And he was successful... somewhat... actually not really, because she kept squirming around, her legs kicking his, kneeling him and he tried to reach for the bag of candy again but now it was practically under her body.

Of course, it didn't help that he had just pulled a double, that he was exhausted and she was on a sugar high. Not that he would be able to beat her even if his body was functioning properly, but the odds of him winning now were lower, much lower, than usual. He began to feel his body grow heavier and he sighed, tried to come up with a different plan but his mind was completely drugged on exhaustion.

"What's the matter, altar boy?" Calleigh teased. "Not strong enough to fight off a girl?"

Eric looked at her, giving her a hard look because even though he was on top of her she clearly had the upper hand. Of course, that's what happens when you grow up with all brothers. They'd probably taught her to wrestle and defend herself at an early age. Hell, Calleigh had probably been the bully of her school.

Not him. He grew up with _sisters_. Sisters who had taught him nothing of use except how to accessorize and be gentle and respect women. Calleigh's upbringing consisted of rough games and guns and brutality – his had revolved around mediocre Easy Bake Over recipes and perfectly dressed Barbie dolls.

Still, he should've known that as soon as he let his guard down she would move in for the kill. Even guys who were dressed up like girls constantly during their childhood should know that. So he wasn't at all surprised when she kicked him off her with extraordinary strength, pinned him down against the floor and straddled him, holding his wrists down just as he'd been holding hers.

"Ha!" she said viciously, wicked smile on her face.

Eric sighed and looked around the floor, the spot the cleaning crew had clearly missed under the couch. "Alright, alright, you win."

"Louder," she said, pushing on his forearm with her fist.

Eric grimaced in pain. "You win."

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear that," Calleigh said gently.

"You win!" Eric yelled, feeling humiliated and thanking God at that moment they were the only people in the break room, not that the rest of them wouldn't find out anyway.

He looked at her and she was smiling proudly. Oh, he was gonna hear about this one for the rest of his life. Calleigh could be the most arrogant person in the world whenever she beat him at something, which was invariably. And it was weird, cause she wasn't like that with other people. With other people she was humble, if she won at something, she was graceful.

Not with him. She loved to beat him and she loved to rub it in his face each time. He was pretty sure five seconds from now the entire MDPD would know how Calleigh had beaten the crap out of him in the break room. And they would laugh at him. Hard.

He tried to get up, walk away with at least _some_ dignity, but she pushed him back down to the floor again. And Eric frowned, because it was such a contradiction of images, Calleigh looking down at him with her long blonde hair falling down upon his shirt, looking all angelic and innocent, but still gripping his wrist down so strongly he was sure she would leave red marks there, her other fist _still_ closed, protecting her precious red Skittles.

Eric sighed again. "Can I leave now or will you not be satisfied until you see blood?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, looking a bit crazy and psychotic and Eric suddenly _really_ began to fear for his life. A tiny smile tugged at the corner of her mouth and it was only then when Eric became aware, _too_ aware, of their position.

He was about to warn her about that, let her know that if someone walked by and saw them there, Calleigh straddling Eric, holding him down like that, they would definitely get the wrong impression. And Calleigh wouldn't like that. Calleigh was as protective of her reputation as she was of that stupid bag of candy.

Still, there was something weird about the look on her face, because at that moment he got the feeling she didn't care about what others might think. At that moment he got the feeling Calleigh was thinking something weird, and that was a bad thing. He could usually read her like an open book and when he couldn't, bad things happened. Really bad things. He'd get the shit beaten out of him, for once. Was she thinking of shooting him now?

Then again, once could never know what was going through Calleigh's head, because he got the feeling she was also _very_ aware of their current position. He also got the feeling Calleigh was _enjoying_ their current position, and not in a predatory way. And Eric's mind was completely crippled, but a little part of it still sent out some sort of warning signal that was pretty much ignored when the rest of his crippled mind realized Calleigh was leaning down, still smiling, her eyes transfixed on his lips.

He frowned before their lips met; his eyes remained open as he tried to figure out what the hell was happening. Though he didn't react much, or at all, that didn't faze Calleigh one bit. She deposited slow kisses on his lips, weird, he thought, that merely five seconds ago she was kicking him and punching him and bruising him, but was now kissing him so gently he could've sworn this was a completely different woman on top of him.

She let go of his wrists and then he finally reacted, kissed her back but still remained alert, because for all he knew this could've been Calleigh's version of the Kiss of Death and she would strike him down at any moment. But that theory went straight out the window when she made the tiniest little moaning sound and Eric suddenly felt like she'd blown his mind, parted her lips with his tongue and she breathed in with pleasure.

Of course. With regular girls all he had to do was flash a perfect row of white teeth and they instantly became jell-o. Not with Calleigh. Calleigh had to beat the crap out of you first, give you a concussions, lacerations, and broken ribs, and _then_, and only then, she would let you kiss her.

He had to wonder what she would let him do to her if she were ever to shoot him. He was starting to think maybe it was worth the risk.

Eric brushed her hair back and rested his hand on the back of her neck to pull her down closer. He felt something sticky in his other hand and then realized her fist had finally opened and a handful of red Skittles now rained on his hand. But he didn't care about them anymore, merely let them all fall on the floor and he tangled his fingers in her sticky hand.

Calleigh moaned lightly again and Eric was so tired and sleep deprived, at one point he thought he was dreaming it all. He felt lightheaded and dizzy, hypnotized by the slow movements of her tongue as he tasted her, Calleigh and candy and sugar – this was definitely better than eating the Skittles straight out of the bag. He trailed a hand down her back and settled it on her ass, catching her off guard and though he was expecting her to fly off the handle she didn't. Score one for him.

So he deepened the kiss, reaching into her mouth with his tongue, premeditating all her moves and beating her to them. Eric rose, sat up and she sat back on his thighs, sticky hand on his neck and breathing rapidly. Each of his hands grabbed a butt cheek and he slid her over, turned it dangerous and he could've sworn he heard the alarm bells in Calleigh's head ringing. She turned her head to the side, ending the kiss and after one slow peck on her neck Eric stopped, too, tired and hyper at the same time.

She pulled back and looked at him, like a little girl who'd behaved badly and was waiting for some sort of punishment. Eric chuckled and sighed, trying by sheer concentration to make the tightness in his pants subside. Wasn't working very well, not when Calleigh was still straddling him.

"Uh," Eric said a bit nervously. "You know, my mother _did_ tell me not to play rough with girls, but I think she forgot to mention this part."

Calleigh grinned. "Don't flatter yourself."

"No, really," Eric said. "If I'd have known this is what happens when you play rough with girls, believe me, I would've done it a long time ago."

She narrowed her eyes at him, hating the smug look on his face and Eric grinned when she leaned in again, brushing her lips against his, trailing a hand down his chest, parting her lips and exploring his tongue with hers.

But then suddenly she pushed him away with one hand, leaving him confused. "Eric, someone might walk in."

Eric shook his head. What the hell? "Calleigh, you're the one who's kissing me."

She looked at him as if the words he had just spoken were offensive and Eric sighed. Typical Calleigh, blaming him for her weaknesses, her temptations. Not that he wasn't used to it. He couldn't really understand what was going through her mind, had just learned to accept a long time ago that this attraction happening between them was his entire fault. Every time Calleigh relapsed and let herself get a bit too carried away by it was his fault, too, even when he had nothing to do with it, even when he wasn't even around. It was just his fault. Period. No arguing. He was to blame.

Hell, _she_ had just kissed _him_. Twice. She'd kissed him and now, in her mind, she'd come to see it as another one of the things she did that were his fault. And yet he couldn't believe he let her get away with it each time.

"Alright," he breathed, patting her thigh and feeling even more intense when she moved away and stood up. She offered a hand and he looked at it, wondering briefly if she was gonna start playing dirty again, but he took it and she helped him on his feet, swatting some of the dust on his shirt with her hand.

Eric looked at the bag of candy on the floor, at his disposal now and he knew she couldn't care, but he just ignored it, looked at his watch and made some sort of noncommittal comment about how he had to get home and get into bed before he passed out.

Calleigh merely nodded and let him walk around her, brushing her hair with her hands and trying to make herself presentable, just in case anybody out there became suspicious.

It was gonna happen anyway, Eric knew that, because people around the lab were pretty much waiting for it to happen, feeding on the gossip like vultures. Hell, he was pretty sure there was a pool going around. How long before Eric and Calleigh jump at each other. The truly stupid people had missed the target by years. The smart ones had probably bet on 'never.'

And though something had finally happened, something _somewhat_ concrete, Eric knew this wasn't a beginning. At all. This was just another one of the things they did. Two days from now he'd come back to work and they wouldn't talk about it. Calleigh wouldn't let him. It would just go down as one of those things that made their relationship "special" and that was that. Maybe in a year or two it would happen again, but again, nothing solid would come out of it. Maybe he was a pessimist or maybe he knew Calleigh too well. Maybe it was just a little bit of both.

"Hey," she called out, waving the bag of candy in front of her and he turned around. "You're not even going to take the red Skittles?"

"Nah," Eric said dismissively, feeling, for the first time since she began to beat him up, that maybe, just _maybe_, he'd won after all. "I already got a good taste."

She frowned at him, looking pissed and perplexed, and Eric smiled cockily.

"Ha!" he said victoriously and walked away, didn't even flinch when a jawbreaker hit him square on the back of his head.

The end.


End file.
